The Miami Dolphins are headed for a critical game against the New England Patriots. Right now, the Dolphins are on a two-game win streak and looking like the hottest team in the league under new head coach Dan Campbell. They have a chance to prove that to be true as they faced the undefeated New England Patriots. Heading into the matchup, the Dolphins plan to ride the recent success of Lamar Miller and Rishard Matthews.
Miller is a must-start in terms of fantasy football as the running back has been one of the hottest players in the league over the past two games with Campbell. In the past two games, Miller has 288 yards rushing while putting up 175 against the Houston Texans last week. Miller noted that he is not concerned about the number of carries he is getting, but is more focused on what he does with those carries.
"Earlier in the year, I was worried about how many opportunities I was going to get," Miller said, via Walter Villa of the Miami Herald. "I wasn't getting the ball that much. So every time I got it I was trying to make a big play, and I wasn't reading my keys. Now, I'm trusting my offensive line more. They've been getting a lot of movement. I'm being patient and decisive. I think it has something to do with it. Every day, [Campbell] preaches, 'Win your one-on-one battles.' I'm just trying to win my battles and make explosive plays."
Matthews has been another player to excel over the past few weeks, but owners should be careful about putting him in the lineup against a Patriots' secondary that has proven they are very underrated right now. With Jarvis Landry leading the charge, Matthews has been a nice second target for Ryan Tannehill to work with. After being buried on the depth chart to begin the season, Matthews has been a real threat for Miami as Tannehill aims to keep the big plays coming.
"There's been more of an emphasis (on big plays)," said Matthews, via USA Today. "I caught a deep slant in the Titans game and tried to run the dude over and he picked me up. (Offensive coordinator Bill) Lazor made some jokes that I didn't try to make him miss. Juice (Jarvis Landry) is usually the dude who does the fancy make dudes miss (plays), but there's definitely been a larger emphasis on it. We have a good thing going on right now and we're not trying to let anybody get in the way."
Campbell told the media that he feels no pressure to play DeVante Parker with other receivers playing better at the moment. Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings have also had big games recently and the depth chart could stay that way against the Patriots. Until Matthews proves that he cannot handle the increased responsibility, Parker will have to settle for just a few targets a game.
